International Student Information

Your student accounts bill includes a mandatory charge for International Student Health Insurance.

If you are a new Graduate Assistant, Teaching Assistant or Research Assistant, you must sign up for employee health insurance at Student Insurance Office within 30 days of your appointment date. Once you enroll in the employee health insurance and payroll deductions begin, the mandatory health insurance fee will be removed from your student bill.

Failure to have or sign up for employee health insurance within 30 days of your appointment date will make you liable for full payment of the mandatory international student health insurance charge.

If you are continuing your employment as a Graduate Assistant, Teaching Assistant or Research Assistant, and you have health insurance deductions, this charge will be removed from your student account.

If your employment status changes from State to Research Foundation (GA/TA to RA) or from Research Foundation to State (RA to GA/TA), as indicated by the change in color and format of your paycheck and pay date, you MUST sign up AGAIN for employee health insurance within 30 days of your appointment date for the mandatory international health insurance charge to be removed from your student bill.

Medical Evacuation and Repatriation

Graduate Assistant, Teaching Assistant or Research Assistant payroll deductions for health insurance do not include the mandatory insurance component of Medical Evacuation and Repatriation, which must be purchased separately. The monthly rate for this coverage is $4.20.

Please note that you are responsible for having full medical coverage at all times during your stay in this country. If your medical insurance coverage lapses due to a termination in employment, you will be charged for the international student health insurance at the monthly rate of $65 a month, starting from the 15th day of the previous month.

Insurance Waivers

If you are covered under comparable insurance, or think you might be eligible for a "waiver" of this insurance charge, you must submit the appropriate written waiver request to International Services by the deadline in order to be considered (please call Leta Edelson (631) 632-6054 for deadline dates). Waivers submitted after the deadline will be denied, even if you have comparable insurance.

Insurance Waivers for Dependents

If an international student who is enrolled in the TA/GA or RA health insurance plan adds his spouse to his health insurance as a dependent and the dependent is also a student at Stony Brook the dependent will be automatically billed and enrolled in the mandatory International Health insurance plan. If the dependent would like the fee removed from their student accounts bill they must submit a waiver to Leta Edelson by the end of the second week of classes for the Fall and Spring semester of each year. If you have any questions about the waiver deadline please have them contact Leta Edelson (631) 632-6054.

YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR: Knowing which health insurance plan you are covered by (your employer's or the university's international student plan), submitting waiver requests by the deadline, paying all fees and charges on your student account on time, and maintaining a current record of address with the Records Office.

* While this web page is intended to be a useful reference, it is not a substitute for your Group Certificate or handbook. If there are any discrepancies between this web page and handbook or the Group Certificate, the handbook and Group Certificate will prevail.